BOSTON — March 4, 2014 — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), the trusted health plan of municipal and governmental organizations for more than 75 years, announced today the winners of its sixth annual Municipal Blue Innovation Awards. The following groups are being recognized for:
- Chelmsford's team effort in stabilizing cost increases for the next three years.
- Douglas' collaborative efforts of town management and employees to redesign their health offerings, resulting in a significant savings for the town's taxpayers and its employees.
- Saugus' collaborative efforts with local Labor leaders to seek out new, innovative plan solutions to save the town and local taxpayers $1 million in health insurance premium costs.
- Sutton's cost savings initiative resulting in savings for the town, their employees and their retirees.
- Berkshire Health Group's innovative diabetes education program.
- Cape Cod Municipal Health Group's restructured health plan offerings which resulted in a zero percent premium increase, as well as an innovative new wellness website.
- Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust's successful wellness initiatives geared towards lowering health risks.
- Mayflower Municipal Health Group's innovative wellness initiatives which serve as a model for other employers across the Commonwealth.
The Municipal Blue Innovation Awards highlights the new and inventive cost containment measures, collaborative and customized worksite wellness programs, and innovative health plan designs utilized by municipalities throughout the state. The awards will be presented, along with a $5,000 wellness grant, to the winners in ceremonies at their local communities this spring.
"Municipalities face unique and complex challenges, and Blue Cross is proud to partner with them to offer a wide selection of flexible health and dental plan options which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each member organization," said Larry Croes, BCBSMA's Vice President of Commercial & Municipal Markets. "These eight winners are true visionaries, finding new ways to contain costs for both their towns as well as their employees, while also providing innovative solutions and tools to improve the health of their workforce."
BCBSMA is proud to provide health coverage to 79 percent of Massachusetts municipal entities, their families and to 120,000 federal employees. Blue Cross is committed to partnering with Municipalities to reduce health care costs while improving the health of their employees. To learn more about BCBSMA's Municipal Blue health plans and wellness options call: 617-246-7500.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are the trusted health plan for more than 31,500 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin.